Private equity (PE) investors are now diverting their attention to sectors such as energy, telecom, infrastructure, education, media and entertainment. Reason: these sectors are largely dependent on the domestic market and not foreign countries, especially the US market.
Tamil Nadu ranks lowest in terms of crop insurance penetration, which is just 3.12 per cent, as compared with 25-40 per cent in other states in the country.
Michael Boneham, president, Ford India, said the small car would be engineered for Indian conditions and that the company was keeping options open for both petrol and diesel variants. Ford's mall car will mark its entry into the mainstream segment, popularly known as the B segment cars in India, which accounts for a little over 70 per cent of the 1.3 million India car market.
Even mid-size and smaller IT companies are going slow on recruitments due to the uncertainty in business from the US, which is the single-largest market for these companies, says L Venkataesan, a placement consultant based in Tiruchy. JJ College of Engineering in Tiruchy, till before last year, saw almost 95 per cent of its students being placed.
The domestic logistics industry, which is estimated to generate business worth $110 billion in the next two years, will need over 400,000 additional pair of hands in the next four to five years.
The entry of private players has boosted the fortunes of FM radio in a big way in the country. This has been consistently reflecting in the revenue earned by the industry, which grew to Rs 550 crore (Rs 5.5 billion) last year from Rs 350 crore (Rs 3.5 billion) a year ago. The industry is expected to close with over Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion) in revenue this year.
With the general insurance penetration at a dismal 0.60 per cent (measured as a percentage of GDP), many companies feel that selling the policies through photo studios, grocery stores and even telephone booths would help improve the figure. "If telecom companies are able to use grocery stores, petty shops and other small outlets, why not insurance companies?" said an Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority official.
Speaking to Business Standard on the sidelines of the ground breaking ceremony of the Chennai-based Sri City's SEZ in Tada, in Andhra Pradesh, last week, Singhal said SEZs in the country have so far generated over 300,000 jobs, adding once all the 462 zones start functioning, they are expected to create 4 million jobs.
The Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (Irda) is planning to issue a notice to Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to stop the latter from allowing policy holders to nominate "strangers" (those who are not close relatives) and religious institutions as beneficiaries of life policy claims.
In the wake of a hugely successful first season, the television advertisement rates for the second edition of the Indian Premier League are expected to increase by 40 to 50 per cent, say analysts. The inaugural edition of the Indian cricket board-mooted 20-over tournament had attracted over 20 million viewers, of which 8.2 million were women, they say.
The state-owned life insurer Life Insurance Corporation of India has decided to introduce strict norms for agents in a move to arrest fraudulent and early claims (arising after first year of the policy). The corporation found that early claims arose due to poor underwriting and moral hazards.
Indian shipbuilders are expected to invest Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion) in the next five to six years to enable them grab the growing demand for ships from Japan, Korea and China. The scarcity of shipbuilding yards in these countries up to 2012 will help Indian shipbuilders increase their market share globally.
Leading shipping lines operating in India said ocean freight rates to the US and Europe increased to $1,900 and $1,650, respectively, for every twenty foot equivalent unit in the past five months. The increase follows a sharp rise in crude price, which touched $132 a barrel from $99.62 in January 2008 and currency fluctuations against the dollar, according to a senior executive in a US-based shipping line.
Among insurance companies, general and health insurers are the worst affected by the shortage. The business process outsourcing industry, particularly the niche knowledge process outsourcing companies, are the second biggest recruiters of actuaries today.
Under its IT/ITeS SEZ development plan, Electronic Corporation of Tamil Nadu (Elcot) is setting up nine IT SEZs in Tamil Nadu, developing 1 million sq ft space at an estimated cost of Rs 28,000-30,000 crore (Rs 280-300 billion) - one each at Perumbakkam village and Sholinganallur near Chennai, two in Madurai, and one each at Tiruchirapalli (Trichy), Krishnagiri, Salem, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli.
Exim Bank of India Chairman and Managing Director T C Venkat Subramanian revealed that the bank has good exposure in highly export-intensive sectors. The bank has seen considerable increase in loan approvals and profit after tax. It provides financing both in foreign currency and Indian rupees. The bank will push exports from rural areas and explore untapped areas. Subramanian believes microfinancing model was ideal for villages as it reaches the indigenous rural people.
FM's decision to make PAN card a neccessity for financial transactions has worried life insurers, who will find it difficult to tap rural India with this requirement.
Chennai and Ennore ports are set to become hub for car exports from South India. After Hyundai, the two ports have started attracting global manufacturers like Renault SA, Nissan, and Ford.
The rapidly growing banking, financial and services industry sector in India is expected to create about a million jobs every year for the next five years
After developing bancassurance channels, which banks use to sell insurance products, the latest buzzword among insurance companies is "shopassurance" - selling insurance through supermarkets and retail chains.
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